The 79-year-old charity, founded by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938 as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, has faced annual expenses exceeding revenues by millions of dollars every year from 2012 to 2016, according to March of Dimes' Forms 990 filed with the IRS. In 2016, the nonprofit reported a negative fund balance — or assets less liabilities — of nearly $13 million.

"After careful evaluation of our office in White Plains, the March of Dimes building at 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue has been placed for sale on the real estate market," Michele Kling, director of media relations, said in an emailed statement. She expected the headquarters to remain near White Plains.

But she would not reveal the asking price for the 113,000-square-foot office building on 11 acres. The property had not been publicly listed online late Friday afternoon.

The charitable organization was successful in its first goal, to fight polio, when two vaccines came into widespread use and switched in the early 1960s to preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

As of 2016, March of Dimes had about 1,500 employees nationwide, according to its financial report, though it was unclear Friday how many of them are based here. The size of organization may be shrinking: At least one regional office in Ardmore, Okla., recently shut down because of budget cuts, according to KXII-TV, Sherman, Texas.

The dominance of other popular charitable events, such as the ALS Association's Ice Bucket Challenge and the American Cancer Association's Relay for Life, may have affected the bottom line for the March of Dimes, which has raised money through walks called March for Babies.

Todd Dezen, a spokesman for March of Dimes, said the group is addressing the issue.

"As the March of Dimes approaches our 80th anniversary, we’re taking action to transform into a modern and sustainable organization that will be around for at least the next 80 years to support pregnant women, families, and babies across the country," he wrote in an email statement.

The challenges facing March of Dimes aren't unique, said Alisa Kesten, executive director for Volunteer NY, a Tarrytown-based nonprofit.

"Nonprofits need to be very nimble and always look for new friends, new sources of revenue especially because government resources can't be depended on as they were in the past, whether you’re talking about local, state or federal," she said.

If successful, the sale of the Mamaroneck Avenue property would help the nonprofit with a cash flow, even though it may be a short-term solution.

"It will be very interesting to see what happens to this property," said Howard Greenberg, president of Howard Properties and a commercial real estate expert in White Plains. "It's on an office corridor. But given the reality of the office market, there may be more interest in redeveloping for another use."

Kling, the March of Dimes spokeswoman, said many of the nonprofit's employees "have embraced a virtual working model."

"A virtual office reduces staff commute time and increases flexibility, and improvements in technology mean we can maintain effective communications through video conferencing, social media, and many online tools," she said.

The charity's current name, March of Dimes, stems from a radio appeal from comedian Eddie Cantor, who encouraged people to donate for the organization, saying, "nearly everyone can send in a dime or several dimes. However, it takes only 10 dimes to make a dollar and if a million people send only one dime, the total will be $100,000."